All season, a reunion with short-term former third baseman Alex Bregman has hung over the Boston Red Sox's heads. The Chicago Cubs are scheduled to play the final series of the year against the Sox in Boston but Bregman isn't expected to be part of the action
The third baseman looks the worse for wear after he was hit in the face by a foul ball near the on-deck circle, blackening his eye, cutting and fracturing his face. The accident occurred on September 20 but Chicago hasn't been able to keep Bregman off his feet since then.
Bregman is determined to play sooner than he probably should with multiple facial fractures. He told reporters on September 23 that he would try to get an at-bat in the Cubs' game that evening, which didn't end up happening. Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters there was no chance he'd play, but Bregman is seemingly choosing optimism.
Chicago still hasn't placed Bregman on the injured list, and as long as he's willing to play through his injuries, it probably won't. Bregman's excitement to get back into a game is a good sign as long as he isn't being overly reckless. According to Counsell via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, the veteran still hasn't tried running, which would be critical to his return if he were to make one.
Alex Bregman is determined to return to action before Cubs-Red Sox season finale despite fractured face
Red Sox and Cubs fans would be shocked to see Bregman play in the regular season finale. On the night he was hit, his eye was swollen completely shut — the eye that points in the direction of the pitcher while he stands in the righty batter's box. His willingness to put his face on the line to get back into games is admirable, if not a little crazy.
The Cubs' postseason situation is a more precarious one than the Sox's. Boston has already clinched a playoff spot, and only in one rare, three-way tie scenario would keep it from playing a Wild Card rematch in the Bronx. Chicago is in a tight race against the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres to determine which team will face the twice-reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round (or the Milwaukee Brewers if they drop their hold on first place in the National League).
Bregman has been one of the Cubs' top hitters in the second half after a lackluster first, which puts his determination into perspective. He's posted a .296/.378/.600 slash line with 17 home runs over 59 games since the All-Star break.
It would be wild for the Cubs to let Bregman play with a fractured face but he seems unwilling to rest. The Red Sox and Cubs' three game series has already been condensed into two days due to a nor'easter coming Boston's way, so Bregman has even less time to get better to prepare for an appearance. If Bregman gets his way, Sox fans could see him at Fenway in the regular season finale.
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